Tottenham to Sack Tim Sherwood at the End of the Season

Tottenham Hotspur supporters got the news this morning they had been wishing for — Tim Sherwood will be relieved of his managerial duties at the end of the season, according to Sky sources.

The manager, who was handed an 18 month contract on December 23 after replacing Andre Villas-Boas, currently has a win percentage of 45.45% with Tottenham, but has managed the team during a spell of lifeless performances that have sent Spurs out of the race to battle for fourth spot in the Premier League.

Based on his body language and lack of desire or passion, it seemed he may have already been told that his services were no longer needed before the 4-0 away loss against Liverpool where he sat in the stands at Anfield.

If and when the news is confirmed that Sherwood will depart this summer, the move means that Tottenham have practically given up on the results for the remainder of the season. The players won’t listen to the manager or respect him as much as they normally would if they know he’s going to be leaving in a few weeks. But, importantly for Tottenham, the expected announcement of the departure of Sherwood will make sure that managerial candidates can start applying for the job, giving Spurs a head start on trying to find a suitable replacement.

Tottenham’s next match is today against Sunderland at 3pm ET (on NBCSN, for viewers in the United States).

About The Author

Publisher of World Soccer Talk, Christopher Harris founded the site in 2005. He has been interviewed by The New York Times, The Guardian and several other publications. Plus he has made appearances on NPR, BBC World, CBC, BBC Five Live, talkSPORT and beIN SPORT.
Harris, who was born and raised in Wales, has lived in Florida since 1984, and supported Swansea City since 1979. Last but not least, he got engaged during half-time of a MLS game.

16 Comments

EDubApril 7, 2014

This came as a major shock to absolutely zero Sp*ds fans. I would gloat a bit more, but it appears we might be missing out on 4th 🙁

Garry, look around the Internet. Everyone is going with the Sherwood headline that the manager will be relieved of his duties. we’re just waiting for official confirmation from Tottenham. We could wait until the news is official by Tottenham, but by that point, the story will be old news.

Not really unexpected. He has made the Mancini and Di Canio mistake of criticizing his players frequently to the media. A manager will lose a locker room fast when he does that.

In Sherwood’s case it also seemed as if Louis van Gaal was already being lining up as a permanent replacement. If Spurs don’t get van Gaal, they’ll probably make a run at Pochettino. Southampton has said they will honor Pochettino’s wishes and not let their young talent leave in the summer, but that might be inevitable.

No surprise here. Sherwood’s recent behavior and comments sealed his fate. It was a gamble appointing him in the first place given he had no managerial experience at the top level.

It’s back to square one for Spurs. They need to think long and hard about getting in a manager with fresh ideas and an eye towards continuity. So far Spurs’ managers and continuity have not gone together.

That’s the other important part. Besides selecting the right person, they need to stick with him for a bit, and not sack him the first time things don’t go well. So far, Levy hasn’t shown he can do this.

It’s great news. That said, I don’t think it was Spurs that leaked it, I think Sherwood has leaked it as he angles for the Norwich job, he knows he’s done at Spurs.

Spurs have issued a statement saying Sherwood will be reviewed at the end of the season. Why would they say that if they leaked the story? add the fact that Dim has been the leak for the passed 2 years at the club feeding his buddies in the press.

Does no one see this timing as strange, sure it could be the sudden realization that Dim has been a complete failure on every level, to the point where our three record signings are considering their futures away from the club after their treatment under Dim. add Capoue, Lloris and Jan to that and its not a good sign.

The timing is puzzling. If true, the players have no reason to listen to Sherwood knowing he is a gonner. Of course, if Spurs don’t want to play in the Thursday League then it makes no difference that they will just go through the motions for the rest of the season.

Spurs fans need to realize the club’s troubles are not the fault of any manager. Sherwood has been thrown into the mire and saddled with Levy’s folly of a wasted 100 M quid. Yet he’s done a fairly decent job.

How the Director of Football – Franco Baldini – can keep his job, after spending a staggering sum of money on a bunch of overpriced players who are simply not performing is the real issue, not a revolving door policy of managers tasked with making his and Levy’s mistakes work.

Spurs fans should stop looking for convenient whipping boys and understand the club is rotten from the top. Levy and his cronies have illusions of grandeur that somehow translates into this divine right they should perennially be in the top four. They’ve done it twice in the last twenty years so this type of thinking is nonsensical especially when your recruitment policy is so misguided. The best thing for Spurs would be for Joe Lewis to sell the club and Levy to leave.